Curing, as used herein, is the processing of a plastic or resinous material from a fluid or soft and compliant state to a permanent hard, durable and solid state. Conventionally, this is accomplished both by the elimination of solvents and by chemical changes involving interlinking of molecules commonly known as polymerization of the material. Of the two, polymerization is the more advantageous since it does not commonly involve dimensional changes and usually produces a substantial increase in the strength of the material. Polymerization is usually caused by the addition of activating chemicals (activators), by irradiation with some form of wave energy, either electric or electromagnetic in nature, or by applying heat, or by a combination thereof.
The use of incandescent lamps such as halogen lamps as light sources for a laboratory curing apparatus generate excessive unwanted heat and also have a short life span, typically 50 hours. The heat may melt the pressure vessel or heat the composite material above recommended temperatures. The incandescent lights are very power inefficient since most of the light is not needed and is the wrong wavelength for the photo-initiators used in the dental composite material. Components to remove the unwanted heat are usually necessary adding to the cost of the device.
It would be beneficial to provide a light source that is power efficient and does not overheat the composite material or vessel housing the composite. It would be advantageous to provide a light source that does not require additional components to eliminate unwanted heat such as fans, ducts, vents, thermal sensors and the like.